Steinway vs Yamaha: Which Piano Is Harder to Play?

What piano is harder to play, a Steinway or a Yamaha? Does the brand even matter?! Find out in this video.

[BruceBurger]

This video should be renamed which piano is harder to pay! 😭😭😭😵🎹

[Omegadoomship]

I find that the Yamaha pianos have a bit heavier feel than a Steinway, at least in my experience. However I mostly judge a piano based on the sound quality, but just as important the feel of the keys rather than the weight. The keys on a Yamaha are sometimes spaced slightly closer than a Steinway which is a bit more spaced between keys. It’s only noticeable if you are looking at both of them right next to each other. It isn’t really an issue. The gap is almost the same, but the Yamaha is just a hair smaller. Some Steinways have a slightly shorter key stroke just by a few millimeters on the keys and slightly lighter than a Yamaha. This may come across as much more sensitive when it comes to dynamics, while I can control the dynamics easier with the Yamaha because of its slightly heavier keys. Lighter keys are much easier to play too loud and take a bit more precision to play more gentle, but this differs from piano to piano because some might sound more bright, some might sound more full and have a smooth base, and others have very reactive keys with a quick response time. The key response is more important than the weight because if it have to hit a single note continuously, I want it to rebound very quickly. Both Yamaha and Steinway have good key return speed but the Steinway is a bit faster, but this can depend on the model and the year. Older Steinway pianos have very light keys with a stroke similar to a Yamaha while newer ones are slightly stiffer but smoother with no “clunk” when the key returns.
I like both pianos but I definitely prefer the Steinway mainly because it personally feels good to me. I feel comfortable playing on it and I feel as though I have full control of how the instrument will sound when I play it. But it really comes down to personal preference what piano you like most and what naturally feels better in your hands. The only way to know for sure is to actually play a Steinway and a Yamaha and compare between the two and see what you prefer. Some people like Yamahas and some like Steinway. Experiences may differ as all pianos are unique. One Steinway might not sound or feel exactly the same as another even if they are a year apart.
When I was first playing piano, my parents had a 100 year old Knabe baby grand that I learned to play on. Unfortunately it was so old and the soundboard was cracked so tuning it might cause problems. Then my parents bought me a 1987 Yamaha G1 baby grand, which is just a little 5.5 ft piano. It had an impressive powerful sound for its small size and served me well for years up until I graduated college. While I was at college, I primarily played on either a Yamaha, a Bösendorfer, and a Steinway. All three of them sounded amazing, a lot better than my little Yamaha G1 baby grand at home. So of course my standards of how a professional piano have grown significantly. Even so, the Yamaha at college and the one I had at home felt almost exactly the same with subtle differences being a concert grand.
Now I’ve played all three pianos at college: the Yamaha, Bösendorfer, and the Steinway and each one of them has their own unique feel and sound that is hard to explain in words. The Yamaha was a very well balanced piano and had excellent treble and mid range sound. The base was good but often sounded a bit metallic and harsh. I would say that the Yamaha has a brighter sound even when played softly. The Bösendorfer that I played was unique as it had an extra set of lower keys that were rarely used in any performances yet it richened the sound of he piano, so it comes across as warm and gentle, but still has plenty of power when played with force. The treble is good and smooth with no abrupt slap on the strings like the Yamaha, but sometimes comes across as muffled when playing an uptempo piece or anything nonclassical. The feel of the keys is a bit heavier than either the Yamaha or Steinway, at least the one that I played. I found it easy to play smooth quiet classics pieces and excerpts, but it never felt right when playing a more upbeat song or something with some loud abrupt dynamics. Then there is the Steinway, which shares the positive attributes of both a Yamaha and Bösendorfer but adds a bit of its own character. The high range can be played super smooth and soothing yet the player can also make it sound bright and melodic by adjusting how they strike the keys. The same goes for the midrange. The low range sounds very pronounced and powerful while not being too harsh and inconsistent in tone at the very low and high end of the keyboard. However, I have played older steinways that are a bit more harsh down low but the newer ones are much smoother and sound better in my opinion. I would play a Yamaha if I was was playing music with a more percussive feel such as a rag time. I like the Bösendorfer for playing classical music as it sounds absolutely fantastic. I would use the Steinway for playing more intricate music such as the Hungarian Rhapsody or anything in between.
I currently have a 1989 Steinway Model D grand piano in a polished Ebony finish and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But like I said before. Every piano is unique in its own right as every single one is hand build. In order to truly know what piano is right for you, you must go and play them for yourself and then decide what feels the best to you.

[thecrazeecow]

My school had a D from the 50s. It was pretty light and had a very bell like tone. I still remember the distinct smell of the wood of that piano, loved playing on it during special events.

[LinKhantPhyo]

I have played on a Yamaha grand once it's somewhat heavier than digital weighted ones but I haven't played on a steinway yet

[excellentinterpretation]

In fact general concert grand piano has very light action

[-F-]

I had the opportunity to play a Yamaha grand piano when I was 12 for a small esibition, they do sound fantastic and I would buy one if I had a bigger house.

[bruhmanz]

I prefer Steinway a lot. The songs that I play on the piano are great for that Steinway feel. I’ve gone to stores to try them out but then found out the price tag is about $35, 000 and was


Sad😢

[Daniel_Ilyich]

A good piano tuner can make them close to identical. As an aside, the action of Horowitz's piano, before Steinway ruined it after his passing, wasn't like any other Steinway. It was super light, for one thing.

[benjaminsmith]

Both Yamaha and Steinway make a range of pianos. With Steinway, I think the Hamburg Steinways have a different action than the New York Steinways. With Yamaha, you have a range from budget to very high priced. Also, uprights have a different action to grands. Then there's everything Robert said.

[ThePianstJames]

It depends on what steinways. To me, the NY steinway keyboard is not that great. It's stiff. But the hamburg steinway action the renner action is the best. In the world, par as the shigeru kawai

[tomdans]

For the same size of piano, a Steinway will have lower overall string tension than other brands. This imparts a warmer and longer sustain, but much less attack. To achieve the same level of attack, one would need to play a Steinway harder.

[DavidArdittiComposer]

This is not a meaningful question. Yamaha makes many different quality grades of piano. Higher-quality pianos feel more responsive and therefore may feel 'easier' to play. It also depends on the specific instrument, and how it has been prepped, maintained and restored (if it is old), as Robert says. This is a bit like asking 'Are pieces of string in America longer than pieces of string in Europe?'

[ufab]

I think Steinways are better, they are made with better materials but that is NOT my point. I love the warm sound in Steinways, some are very quiet, some are very loud, but the warm sound really makes me want a Steinway. I have a Yamaha GH1 and it's very bright, and very loud. Recently I've gone to both Steinway stores, in Melville (Long Island) and Manhattan (New york.) After I played each piano in both stores, I felt like they were warmer and definitely better.

[thephilosopher]

Hmm... on my baby grand bass notes are not just heavier, but keys also have go more distance down to reach bottom than in the upper register. Is it normal?

[lucywells]

does anyone else find it really hard to play light and quiet on yamaha?

[oswaldalcalamecillas]

Gracias por la informacion, excelente video

[vinceontheroad]

I played on a Steinway today and the keys were heavy. Compared to a Yamaha, the keys are light.

[dulla]

the only reason i know of a steinway, is from green book that guy only plays steinways

[duskyduck]

Bigger piano is an echo in your bank account

[ericrakestraw]

Every Yamaha piano I ever played on at recitals had a stiffer touch than a Steinway.